People say “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” In the same vein, ignorance of contractor illegalities is no excuse—and no comfort—when something goes wrong. Association members are well-advised to bone up on what’s important before they…
Visions of lounging by the pool on a hot July weekend lure many homebuyers into the condominium lifestyle. For families, the attraction may include use of their own, “private,” playground, swing set, tennis court or patio for cookouts. …
Freezing, thawing and deicing undoubtedly take their toll on concrete during typically harsh New England winters. Corrosion of concrete is an issue in the Northeast, and homeowner associations need to ensure that the concrete forming t…
As the ubiquity of the condo “green” movement reaches even greater heights, many property managers find themselves searching for new ways to spruce up their operations. And with the continual advances in lighting technology—each more re…
When you consider all the different exterior components that a condo association has to deal with, decks are sort of like the Rodney Dangerfield of the list—they rarely get any respect. “Decks are definitely something that peop…
More often than not, when boards or associations broach the issue of their buildings “going green,” images of bamboo flooring, hemp drapes, or solar panels on the roof suddenly spring to mind. The impression seems to be that in a condo,…
Every condo association has its own house rules—rules and regulations (hopefully) based on common sense and aimed at protecting residents’ safety and quality of life without undue disruption or inconvenience. Most unit owners w…
Citizens over the age of 65 comprise nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population—just under 40 million seniors. By 2030, it is estimated that 72 million Americans will be over the age of 65, nearly doubling those numbers. Where this volume …
To be considered an effective manager, one must possess a plethora of skills including the ability to inspire, motivate and handle multiple tasks at once. In the end, building managers are only successful when they satisfy, or better y…
As the calendar approached the start of 2012, more than 800 million people were on Facebook, 200 million people sent updates on Twitter, around 125 million were chatting away on MySpace and around 120 million people were registered use…